Eureka!

BooFest started out as a nice little Halloween gathering a few years ago at Lakewood Ranch Main Street.

Now, it's a nice huge gathering. Friday night, it seemed like half of Manatee County was there. When we arrived shortly after 6 p.m., the Main Street and Town Hall parking lots were full and so was the Lakewood Ranch Medical Center parking lot and adjacent grassy field across the street. Cars parked up and down the boulevard. I've never seen that.

I think the community was looking to blow off a little steam and have some good clean, family Halloween fun. We enjoyed it, just mixing with thousands of others, seeing the parade and all the costumes. If you like people watching, this was the place to be.

It could be that Lakewood Ranch, as a community, took it to a new level Friday.

By the way, check out the conquistador from Bradenton, handing out beads. It's symbolic maybe of established Bradenton welcoming a younger sibling into the family. I like it, with the dramatic sky as a backdrop, the gleaming armor, and the angle of the shot.

Jim